Nine people died and hundreds were injured due to people rushing for the stage at Travis Scott's Astroworld music festival in Houston, on Friday, Nov. 5. Many investigators have taken action to determine why and how the crowd turned so deadly. Just as the famous hometown rapper entered the stage that night, fear and despair rippled across the crowd of 50,000 individuals, many of whom were young. The uncontrollable swarm of bodies came in waves that could not be stopped.
As a result, some people passed out and others fought for a breath of fresh air. People that were in the crowd brought many that were injured and unconscious to safety. Other people yelled in despair for CPR assistance and did everything they could to get the concert to end. However, the show kept going and according to local officials, eight people were pronounced dead, ranging from ages 14 to 27.
Hundreds more people were treated for injuries at the concert with the help of the emergency department and local hospitals in the area. Among those treated, a 10-year-old child was severely injured and is currently in a medically induced coma. According to the family's attorney, on Nov 10, days after the concert, a ninth victim died, being ruled as brain-dead.
As of now, it is unclear how the concert transformed from an instant celebration to a struggle for life. Many people are questioning if this could have been avoided. There were reports about safety difficulties during Scott's past performances and authorities cited previous concerts at this venue with the venue promoter.
Members of the audience and local officials questioned if there was enough security and medical staff available for the event and if the show could have been stopped sooner. While the crowd was rushing towards the stage, the incident escalated and Scott continued playing through his music set. Scott urged on the crowd many times. He eventually paused the show to acknowledge that something was going on in the crowd, even when the ambulance entered the venue around 9:30 p.m.
The concert promoters, Live Nation, finally stopped the concert with only 30 minutes to spare. This was 40 minutes after city officials announced that the disaster was underway. There is no evidence and it is unclear what could have been seen from the stage and when concert organizers became aware of what was going on. Overpopulated performance conditions are not uncommon; other attendees reported they were unaware that anyone was seriously injured or killed until they returned to their homes.
In a statement made by Scott, he said that he was "absolutely devastated by what took place last night" and stated that he would cooperate with the investigation. According to a Live Nation spokeswoman, the event organizers will give as much information and help to the local authorities as much as they can. With Scott being from Houston, he has extensive ties to the city and has worked with the Mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner in the past.
Turner had presented Scott with a key to the city in 2019 and praised Scott throughout his career in his organization on behalf of Houston's underprivileged areas. He believes that the incident at the concert was devastating and is working to receive a complete examination of the investigation.
Those who attended large festivals like this in the past and previous Astroworld events claimed that this behavior in the crowd felt different from any other concert. A video posted on Reddit showed a person climbing up one of the risers, where one of the cameramen was recording the concert. The individual was yelling and calling to try to put the concert to a stop, shouting that people were injured and dying. Other people saw his behavior and insulted him, telling him to "calm down."
"If everybody good, put a middle finger up to the sky," said Scott in a different video from the show. The ambulance was seen in the crowd, which was surrounded by people who were holding their phones. Several of them had their middle fingers extended. "I love y'all. Make it safe to return home,” Scott shouted as he waved to the crowd and jogged offstage after the show, which lasted another 30 minutes.
Comments